Pouring oils on troubled waters

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A high-profile candidate such as singer Peter Garrett might prove problematic for Labor.

The push to promote former Midnight Oil lead singer Peter Garrett as a candidate for the safe Sydney seat of retiring ALP heavyweight Laurie Brereton has been met with mixed reaction, especially among the true believers.

Down at the Maroubra branch, some local members are not pleased with the invitation extended to Mr Garrett by Labor leader Mark Latham. Dismissed as a "high-profile cove" by one of the faithful, Mr Garrett is yet to say whether he will take up the challenge or not. The real question is who is out of step here, Mr Latham or the local party members? Should candidates be chosen for who they are or for their potential as representatives?

The age of celebrity shows no signs of waning. But in politics and government celebrity for its own sake is of dubious value. In pursuit of power, politicians long ago found uses for the tools of celebrity. Most famously, John F. Kennedy used television with devastating effect against Richard Nixon during the 1960 presidential campaign. The rise, 20 years later, of Ronald Reagan, a former Hollywood actor, was an extension of the blurring between fame and power that had developed by the late 20th century. So, too, the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California. Reagan proved to be a successful politician and Schwarzenegger is doing pretty well, although it is still early days.

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Drafting celebrities into politics has been common in the US and Britain. But Australian electors remain sceptical on this front. Most who have found local fame in some other field before election to parliament have been sportsmen and women, a reflection perhaps on the skewed status of such endeavour in the Australian imagination. Some have made a good fist of it.

Cyclist Sir Hubert Opperman became minister for immigration. Former Melbourne footballer Ray Groom became premier of Tasmania and a federal minister. Four-times Olympic hockey player Ric Charlesworth was a federal MP for 10 years.

Those with a claim to celebrity in other areas are rarer in Australian politics. Northern Territory chief minister Claire Martin and Victorian Planning Minister Mary Delahunty were previously journalists. Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson was a high-profile head of the AMA.

But the push for stars from areas such as the entertainment industry has been slight. As yet there have been no campaigns pushing John Farnham or Kylie Minogue for PM.

Mr Garrett, a one-time anti-nuclear Senate candidate and trained lawyer, would no doubt enliven Parliament, even without the spasm dancing. That he is as intellectually equal to the task as many sitting MPs is beyond question. But that does not mean the local ALP members of Kingsford-Smith should have no say in selecting their candidate.